[Nuclear Medicine in diagnosis of breast cancer]

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide, creating a significant need for improved imaging modalities. The advantage of molecular imaging over other imaging methods, as confirmed by clinical experience, is the ability of providing functional information. This process is achieved by labeling a biomarker with an isotope of choice. Therefore imaging methods such as scintimammography (SM), (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT), positron emission mammography (PEM), lymphoscintigraphy, have proved to be extremely efficient compared to morphological imaging of anatomical lesions, as they allow the diagnosis, staging, assessment of therapeutic efficacy and patient monitoring to contribute as much as possible to improve the prognosis. The development of new radiopharmaceuticals in PET imaging, allowing the visualization and quantification of biomarkers, such as (18)F-fluoro-17-estradiol, which is bound by the estrogen receptors (ER), (18)F-fluoro-l-thymidine (FLT) which is a marker of cell proliferation, (18)F-fluoromisonidazole (FISO) a marker of tumor hypoxia and angiogenesis markers such as (18)F-fluoroazomycinarabinoside, may give us additional information on the characteristics and progress of the disease and allow the conduct of targeted therapy. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) using monoclonal antibodies in order to recognize serum markers such as CA 15.3, CEA, cytokeratins TPA, TPS and Cyfra 21.1, are necessary in the diagnosis of a possible recurrence of the disease as well as the degree of response to treatment. Modern research focusing on the development of new specific functional breast imaging methods improves diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with breast cancer.